Michael Garrison founded His Sound in 1976 in Portland, Oregon, to fill a specific need: improving the acoustic and audio needs of churches. Most church leaders at the time were just beginning to recognize the importance of sound systems that would bring clarity to their message and enhance the worship music experience. Very few churches had been planned with acoustics or sound quality in mind.
Most of His Sound’s projects in those early years focused on replacing inadequate audio equipment and applying remedial acoustic treatments. His Sound distinguished itself by designing and assembling professional component systems that matched the architecture and décor of each individual space.
His Sound became a pioneer in implementing the most advanced technologies and quickly became one of the leading suppliers to the Northwest church market. As its reputation spread, so too did the company’s footprint. His Sound expanded into California and opened a second office in Fresno in 1986 to better serve the burgeoning client base in that state.
Soon after, His Sound was helping churches all over the United States, and the company changed its name to Michael Garrison Associates in 1991. That same year, MGA expanded its scope to include other technical services like integrated lighting and video systems.
Notable major projects early on included the acoustic and audio design for a 10,000-seat worship space at Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles and the lighting, video and sound systems for Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, which was the largest church construction enterprise in U.S. history at the time. The two-year project at Southeast Christian was so extensive that MGA opened a temporary satellite office in Louisville with eight team members until it was completed. After installation there was finished, MGA opened another full-time office in Springfield, Missouri.
MGA achieved some milestones in 2006. The company celebrated its 30-year anniversary that March and later began its first project outside the United States: a 12,000-seat church in Guatemala. That marked the beginning of MGA’s services in Latin America, which has grown to include churches in Colombia, Panama and Honduras. More international work, including potential projects in Asia, is on the horizon.
In its first 40 years of existence, MGA has completed more than 720 church projects across North America. Now in its fifth decade, MGA continues its mission of professional excellence, innovation and complete customer satisfaction.